More than older generations, they say that they will sometimes choose to take alternative transportation as a way to help the environment. Will our leaders notice this important trend? You wouldn't know it looking at Congress.

One cannot read Why Nations Fail during this campaign season without recognizing on every page the authors' criteria for successful nations fulfilled by President Obama's built-to-last economic policies and the failing nations' policies being consciously pursued by Romney-Ryan.

All of us want to put America back on a sustainable fiscal path, but to do so everyone must be asked to pitch in. The Republican budget, however, places the entire burden of deficit reduction on the middle class, seniors, and the most vulnerable.

There is no economy without government; there is no America without government. If all this seems a little elementary, it serves a point. The language we use suggests at the outset an assumption that government should be limited.

After all the Congressional testimony about small business, after all the talking heads retire to their New York co-ops, this remains: 99 percent of the small contractors in this country will never get -- or even bid on -- any part of the public work the most recent jobs bill creates.

Every day -- from Rio to New York to Mumbai -- decisions are made around transportation, energy, public space, housing, and law. Rather than leaving these decisions in the hands of others, theCity2.org provides a platform so we can all become part of the solution.

"Many jobs these days require a B.A., a series of unpaid internships, and a graduate degree. Most young people cannot afford to put in that much time and take on that much debt. If we create another path with a shorter timeline, young people will be more likely to stay in school."

Job creation always needs to be the focus of the government and businesses, but now the urgency is particularly critical. The health of our country will be the result of how well we create jobs and support business -- not how much we regulate.